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Episode 1520 (21 October 1997)
Synopsis Lorraine is searching for Joe again, and there's a little group of people in the Square chatting about it so Mary eavesdrops, looking guilty. Sarah insists that she and Joe haven't had an argument, so that's not the reason he's gone. Mary tells Mark that she can't help him on the stall today because she's been told to help Pauline in the launderette, so he lets her go off straight away. She follows Lorraine, and Lorraine says that Mary was probably the last person to see Joe yesterday in the café, so perhaps they can go over everything and see if they can guess where he's gone, or what might have upset him. Lorraine calls her mother in Bolton again and then the doorbell goes so she answers it and Mary sneakily searches the address book for the Bolton address, then makes an excuse and goes home to pack a few things and leaves. Gita complains that Sanjay is skiving off because he has a cold and his mother keeps insisting that he stay at home, and her presence is causing rows between her and Sanjay. She's supposed to meet Ruth to chat but doesn't turn up. In the café, Huw, Ricky and Mick moan about their respective invisible bosses, as Barry, Phil and Kathy are all still missing without trace despite all supposedly being around at home. Roy gets a visit from the top sales guy at Manor Wood whom Barry sacked last week, asking why. Roy is surprised and leaves a sharp message for Barry at Manor Wood telling him he wants to talk to him. Barry leaves the answering machine on and doesn't speak to him. Pat thinks it's all very fishy and that Roy has too much trust in Barry. However, Barry just about manages to fob Roy off with a story that Harry was slacking and he's supposed to be the boss so he should be allowed to run the place as he sees fit. Ian's canvassing for supporters for his council campaign. He gets his bank manager to nominate him and Kathy to second him, and needs a few more signatures to validate his nomination. All the old folk say they're proud of him and it's wonderful. While he is at Kathy's he asks her about Phil and she says she doesn't want to see him, and it's all over. The door goes, and it's Phil, with a present for Ben. Kathy says he is supposed to know that Ben is at nursery, or had he forgotten? Phil says he hasn't touched a drop in the last 3 weeks, and he wants her to forgive him again. She tells him in no uncertain terms what she thinks of it, and says she's surprised he wants her considering what a disappointment she is when she gets her kit off. He says that was the drink talking and he didn't mean it. She says he did, and it all went too far and it is too late now to go back, so she doesn't want him back, and he can see Ben for an hour a week, and she'll be flexible on which day. Phil returns to the Vic and tries to pour himself a stiff whisky, but Grant stops him, and they chat about Kathy's intransigence. Grant suggests he go to an AA session, and Phil agrees reluctantly. When he returns Grant is annoyed that Tiffany's dad is still in Phil's room and Phil is also uncomfortable on the sofa. Grant asks Phil if he'll help him frighten Terry off, as they have done in the past with a few others! Phil agrees. Mary goes to Bolton and lies her way into Lorraine's mother's house and invents a long story about being old friends with Joe and lies again. Today, in Mary's fantasy world she hasn't seen him for ages and has no idea he went missing yesterday, and she is just passing Bolton. She just promised Joe that if she was ever nearby, she would put flowers on Karen's grave for him but she doesn't know where it is. The grandmother isn't totally stupid so she is suspicious about Mary's fabrication and immediately phones someone about Joe, saying that she doesn't know if it's connected but a girl turned up looking for the cemetery today too. Meanwhile Pauline asks Mark why Mary isn't helping him on the stall, and he says he thought she was with Pauline...oh dear. Mark confides in Ruth that it does seem suspicious that Mary has been chasing Joe all over the square for weeks, and when he disappears, she does too, but he won't tell Pauline because it's all guesswork so far. Grant hears the news about Joe and goes to visit Lorraine. He discovers her plans to move back to Bolton too, and is surprised and disappointed, and starts going on about their relationship. Lorraine cuts it short, but Grant offers to help look for Joe if she needs him. Mary turns up at the cemetery and finds Joe at Karen's grave. He's amazed she found him, and she finally admits she was lying all the time and it was all just a trick to con him into "opening up" to her. As they chat, Peter arrives because Joe's grandmother phoned him, and he chats and takes Joe and Mary home and looks after them. He feeds them and assumes they are an item, so when Joe looks tired, he offers them a bed in his spare room, saying they can stay the night there. Mark isn't the only one to put two and two together - Huw is amused when he finds out that not only is Joe missing but Mary has also disappeared today. He goes round saying that it's all very suspicious and if you find one of them you'll find them both. Mark overhears him and tells him to shut up, but Huw wanders off in the square and gossips to someone else, saying that Joe's a lucky beggar, he seems to be having his cake and eating it. Sarah overhears him and goes all hysterical as only she can, and her eyebrows start overacting again. She runs round to Lorraine's and screams at her is it true that Joe has run off with Mary and she's been lying to her? Lorraine is taken aback and denies all knowledge. The phone rings and Lorraine answers with Sarah still hysterical in her living room. Mary and Joe go to Peter's spare room, and have an awkward chat as Mary carries on lying that she hadn't planned to be taken as his girlfriend, and she says it was just the wrong impression, but she's not offended. She also says that if Peter thought it, it can't be too wrong, and she start to undress and tries to persuade Joe to allow her to sleep with him. Joe is shocked and turns her down flat, saying he's not interested as he is in love with Sarah. Mary looks disappointed that all her scheming has amounted to nothing. Peter has phoned Lorraine and tells her that Joe is at his house, and they're staying the night there. Lorraine says "they??" and Sarah looks horrified and runs out of the house in a tantrum. Credits Main cast *Lorraine Wicks - Jacqueline Leonard *Mary Flaherty - Melanie Clark Pullen *Sarah Hills - Daniela Denby-Ashe *Mark Fowler - Todd Carty *Gita Kapoor - Shobu Kapoor *Sanjay Kapoor - Deepak Verma *Neelam Kapoor - Jamila Massey *Huw Edwards - Richard Elis *Ricky Butcher - Sid Owen *Mick McFarlane - Sylvester Williams *Roy Evans - Tony Caunter *Barry Evans - Shaun Williamson *Phil Mitchell - Steve McFadden *Kathy Mitchell - Gillian Taylforth *Grant Mitchell - Ross Kemp *Pauline Fowler - Wendy Richard Category:Episode Category:1997 Episodes